Did An 8th Century Gamma Ray Burst Irradiate Earth?

Science Daily ^ | 1-21-2013 | Science Daily

[blam]

Did An 8th Century Gamma Ray Burst Irradiate Earth?

Science Daily
January 21,2013

A nearby short duration gamma-ray burst may be the cause of an intense blast of high-energy radiation that hit the Earth in the 8th century, according to new research led by astronomers Valeri Hambaryan and Ralph Neuhӓuser.

The two scientists, based at the Astrophysics Institute of the University of Jena in Germany, publish their results in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

In 2012 scientist Fusa Miyake announced the detection of high levels of the isotope Carbon-14 and Beryllium-10 in tree rings formed in 775 CE, suggesting that a burst of radiation struck the Earth in the year 774 or 775. Carbon-14 and Beryllium-10 form when radiation from space collides with nitrogen atoms, which then decay to these heavier forms of carbon and beryllium. The earlier research ruled out the nearby explosion of a massive star (a supernova) as nothing was recorded in observations at the time and no remnant has been found.

(snip)

[The Cajun]

Astronomers could also look for the merged object, a 1200 year old black hole or neutron star 3000-12000 light years from the Sun but without the characteristic gas and dust of a supernova remnant.

Pretty big patch of sky to look in.

[SunkenCiv]

It's been ages since a posting of recent adds to the Catastrophism keyword (minus the current topic; sorted newest to oldest):

• Re-hashing a 25 year old theory on how Salmon might find their way back to their Scottish birthplace
• European Space Agency Discovers 'Striking' Ancient River on Mars
• Material linked to ancient volcanic eruption in Alaska
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Stickney Crater
• Silenced watchdog highlights power behind rampant science fraud
• Statewide Mega Quake May Be Possible After All
• Apophis asteroid: Large space rock flies past Earth
• Thirteen little galaxies all in a row: Configuration deviates from the expected...
• Mars rover finally looks set to drill
• Mars Meteorite May Be Missing Link to Red Planet's Past
• Two million years of climate change made us what we are
• Man Captures Video Of Strange Explosion In The Sky
• Approaching comet may outshine the moon
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Zeta Oph: Runaway Star
• 2,750-year-old temple found near Jerusalem
• Newfound Comet Could Look Spectacular in 2013 ( Comet ISON )
• Archeologists Make Rare Discovery West of Jerusalem
• Hydrocarbons Could Form Deep In the Earth From Methane, Not Animal Remains
• Ancient city of Troy rebranded itself after war
• When the ice melts, the Earth spews fire
• Extinct elephant 'survived late' in North China
• A Mummy Murder Mystery Is Solved: King's Throat Was Slit
• Study revisits mystery of Egyptian King Ramesses III's killing
• Vodka 'saved' elephants in Siberian freeze
• New milestone for China: Probe snaps close-ups of asteroid Toutatis
• Permian mass extinction triggered by humble microbe
• Maya Calendars Actually Predict That Life Goes On
• Scientists Find Mega-Oil Field ... 1,300 Light Years Away
• The Folly of Scientism
• Researcher points to Sun as likely source of eighth-century 'Charlemagne event'
• New Species of Galaxy Discovered Glowing from Light of Monster Black Holes
• (How's This For Strange?) Mysterious Mass Whale Graveyard Unearthed in the Chilean Desert
• Mayan Match!: Baillie discovers correlation between ice core chemistry spikes & Mayan Long Count...
• 2012 Doomsday , Millions of Chinese, Russians and Americans Believe the End of the World Is Nigh
• Bouvet Volcano becoming active? (my title)
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Plasma Jets from Radio Galaxy Hercules A
• Drought May Have Killed Sumerian Language
• 200-year-long drought may have killed Sumerian language
• NASA's Curiosity rover detects organic compounds on Mars
• New experiments challenge fundamental understanding of electromagnetism
• Big Bang bashing boffins 'Big Bounce' back to BIRTH OF TIME
• MESSENGER Finds New Evidence for Water Ice at Mercury's Poles
• MONSTER QUASAR BLAST blows stunned astro boffins' WIGS OFF
• Incredible Raw Image of Saturn's Swirling North Pole (Saturn's Enigmatic Swirling Hexagon)
• Second PAC-MAN orbiting SATURN: Local absence of dots explained
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• Rare Fossil Points to Toxic Oceans in Devonian Period
• Desecrated Ancient Temple Sheds Light on Early Power Struggles at Tel Beth-Shemesh
• Solar Activity -- Past, Present, Future
• 5 Reasons Mars May Have Never Seen Life
• Droughts steady since 1950s
• Ancient Supervolcano Affected the Ends of the Earth
• Monster Asteroid 'Pinged' As It Buzzes Earth
• Curiosity Mars rover finds soil similar to Hawaii's
• No Sign of Methane on Mars; Abstract Thought Melts Political Convictions
• Tsunamis in the Alps? A killer wave slammed medieval Geneva, a new study says... [500 A.D.]
• New flying fish fossils discovered in China
• Why Sandy Has Meteorologists Scared in 4 Images
• 2-Million-Light-Year-Long Supersonic Jet Of Unknown Material Found
• Scientists convicted of manslaughter for failing to warn of earthquake
• Meteor shower created by Halley's Comet peaks tonight
• Sun Unleashes Huge Solar Plasma Wave
• Scientists uncover mystery of ball lightning
• EARTH was a BAKING LIFELESS DESERT for 5 MILLION years
• A streak, a boom, and now meteor debris?
• NASA's WISE Colors in Unknowns on Jupiter Asteroids
• Scientist warns of Fuji eruption chaos
• House-Size Asteroid Gives Earth a Close Shave Today
• Researchers ID unique geological 'sombrero' uplift in South America (Ruh-Roh!)
• Mystery Behind Supernova SN 1006 Solved?
• Spidery black objects on Mars surface raise speculation [Was David Bowie right?]
• The Sea Peoples, from Cuneiform Tablets to Carbon Dating
• Earth Is Undergoing True Polar Wander, Scientists Say
• Biblical-Type Floods Are Real, and They're Absolutely Enormous
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- A Galaxy Collision in NGC 6745
• New Comet Discovered -- May Become "One of Brightest in History" (outshine the moon)
• Massive Eltanin Meteor 2.5 million years ago set off mass tsunami, changed the climate?
• Earthquakes suggest new tectonic plate is forming
• Nazi-Acquired Buddha Statue Came From Space
• Ancient statue discovered by Nazis is made from (Chinga) meteorite
• Mars Was Once Covered In Hip-Deep Flowing Water
• Newly spotted comet may outshine the full moon
• Will Ancient Akrotiri Face Another Massive Eruption?
• Challengers to Clovis-age impact theory missed key protocols, new study finds
• Did a Pacific Ocean meteor trigger the Ice Age?
• Clay Deposits Don't Prove Existence of Ancient Martian Lakes
• From Ancient Deforestation, a Delta Is Born
• Heavenly Egyptian Charm Found in Israeli City
• Jupiter Has Taken a Massive Meteor Hit (So Earth Didn't Have To)
• SOON AND BRIGGS: Global-warming fanatics take note -- Sunspots do impact climate
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• Are Democrats Really the "Pro-Science" Party?
• Human Impact Felt On Black Sea Long Before Industrial Era
• Do greenhouse gases warm the planet by 33∞C? Jinan Cao checks the numbers.
• Staggering Number of Bones of Extinct Ice Age Animals Found in Mexico
• Biblical-Type Floods Are Real, and They're Absolutely Enormous
• Asteroid #2 down; on to Asteroid #1!
• America's most attractive politicians: Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin head scientists' list...
• 'It's a blessing Philippines spared' -- scientists
• New paper finds deep Arctic Ocean from 50,000 to 11,000 years ago was 1 -- 2∞C warmer ......
• 10,000 square miles of floating volcanic pumice found in Pacific
• Antarctic peninsula was 1.3∞C warmer than today 11,000 years ago
• Temperatures were warmer than today for most of the past 10,000 years
• Ice core shows Antarctic Peninsula warming is nothing unusual--Press release flatly contradicts ...
• Star is caught devouring planet
• Climate and Drought Lessons from Ancient Egypt
• Helium found in moon's atmosphere (maybe Argon too)
• RealClearScience Nails Shabby Maddow Spin on Fracking and Earthquakes
• Severed Hands Discovered in Ancient Egypt Palace
• Ancient records shed light on Italian earthquakes (Aquila area)
• Scafetta's new paper attempts to link climate cycles to planetary motion ( March 2012)
• Italian 'Super Volcano' May Threaten Millions: Scientists plan to drill deep below Romans'...
• Dinosaur Boom Linked to Rise of Rocky Mountains
• Mass grave in London reveals how volcano caused global catastrophe
• Scientists probe link between magnetic polarity reversal and mantle processes
• Palm trees 'grew on Antarctica' (in the early Eocene period, about 53 million years ago.)
• Archeologists unearth extraordinary human sculpture in Turkey [ Suppiluliuma ]
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Ash and Lightning Above an Icelandic Volcano
• Daniel Moynihan Memo on CO2 and Warming from 1969
• Archeologists find 3,300-year-old burnt wheat
• House of the Telephus Relief: raising the roof on Roman real estate
• Kerry island structure may be due to tsunami waves in medieval times
• 'Myths' Are More Plausible than Fiction
• 10 Civilizations That Disappeared Under Mysterious Circumstances
• Greenland Ice Melt every 150 years is 'right on time'
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- South Polar Vortex Discovered on Titan
• 2012 Doomsday: It's not just Mayan claim
• Comet May Have Collided With Earth 13,000 Years Ago(MEXICO)
• Solar System Ice: Source of Earth's Water
• Impact melt products as evidence for cosmic airbursts/impacts 12,900 years ago
• Giant sunspot shoots out intense, X-class solar flare
• Strange Vortex Discovered on Saturn Moon Titan
• Climate was HOTTER in Roman, medieval times than now: Study
• Northern Lights Oddity: Strange Sounds of Auroras Explained
• Asteroid named for gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny
• Oldest known impact crater found
• 'Britain's Atlantis' found at bottom of North sea -- a huge undersea world swallowed by the sea...
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Gravitational Tractor
• Another regime change indication -- this time in solar data
• El Hierro getting worse by the day
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• Saturn moon Titan may harbor ocean below surface
• Sky 'Crucifix' in Ancient Text May Be Mystery-Solving Supernova
• STAR BLASTER: NASA observes 'exploding' planet
• 'Climate is not what you expect, the weather is what you get'
• ScienceCasts: Hidden Magnetic Portals Around Earth
• ScienceCasts: The Surprising Power of a Solar Storm
• Ancient Text Confirms Mayan Calendar End Date
• Antarctic ice shelves not melting at all, new field data show
• DNA clues to Queen of Sheba tale
• Australians Find Huge Mega-Wombat Graveyard
• Younger Dryas -The Rest of the Story!
• The Intriguing Problem Of The Younger Dryas -- What Does It Mean And What Caused It?
• Terrestrial Planets Could be More Common Than Gas Giants
• NRC Committee Finds That Humans Are Triggering Quakes
• A City Block-Sized Asteroid Will Shoot Past Earth Tonight (Thursday night June 14, 2012)
• 13th century volcano mystery eruption may be solved (Little Ice Age cause?)
• Giant Tropical Lake Found On Saturn Moon Titan
• Strange bacteria found on South American volcanoes
• Osaka Bay Looking Yellow (Earthquake fears?)
• Humans Did Not Kill Off Mammoths; Comet, Climate Change Helped, Studies Show
• Asteroid or glitch? Google Sky user spots strange, undiscovered glowing rock in our solar system
• Super-eruptions may have Surprisingly Short Fuses
• This Is the Way the World Ends? Volcanoes Could Darken World
• The Cosmic Story of Carbon-14
• Mysterious radiation burst recorded in tree rings
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Milky Way Galaxy Doomed: Collision with Andromeda Pending
• Newfound exoplanet may turn to dust
• Universe has more hydrogen than we thought (Undark' matter hidden in plain view)
• Asteroid blows past Earth in near miss ( video )
• The Enigma 1,800 Miles Below Us
• Asteroid Nudged by Sunlight: Most Precise Measurement of Yarkovsky Effect
• It Took Earth Ten Million Years to Recover from Greatest Mass Extinction
• China-Combustible Ice/Update
• 5/24/2012 -- Large Explosive eruption at Sakurajima Volcano -- South Japan
• Mystery object in the air investigated after pilot report
• Unique Gold Earring Found in Intriguing Collection of Ancient Jewelry at Tel Megiddo
• Have scientists finally found the meteorite which set off the mysterious 1908 Tunguska catastrophe?
• Planetary wrecking balls: how Jupiter might have destroyed Earth
• Two Earth-sized worlds created by planet-splitting red giant star
• Atlantis: The Evidence [ Thera, Crete, the usual modern myths ]
• A Mummy Switcheroo
• Astronomers discovered ancient Egyptian observations of a variable star [ Algol ]
• [snip] fears active fault-line could cause Japan-style tsunami that could devastate [CA & HI]
• What was it? Unknown flying object nearly causes mid-air collision above Denver
• 'Superflares' erupt on some Sun-like stars (Much larger than our SUN)
• Sun Is Moving Slower Than Thought
• Warning signs from ancient Greek tsunami
• 6,000-year-old settlement poses tsunami mystery
• Freeman Dyson: Science on the Rampage
• 3,000-year-old artifacts fuel Biblical archaeology debate
• Could a Changing Climate Set Off Volcanoes and Quakes?
• Dinosaur gases 'warmed the Earth'
• Giant Black Hole Shreds and Swallows Helpless Star
• Ancient network of rivers and lakes found in Arabian Desert
• Hebrew seal bearing the name 'Matanyahu' uncovered in Jerusalem
• 'Faster-ticking clock' indicates early solar system may have evolved faster than we think
• Four white dwarf stars caught in the act of consuming 'earth-like' exoplanets
• NASA/Hathaway's updated solar cycle prediction -- smallest in 100 years
• Yellowstone Supervolcano May Have Had More Eruptions Than Thought
• New Link From Supernova to Life on Earth?
• Science and the Republican Brain
• History's Most Overlooked Mysteries
• Ancient Egyptian Mummy Suffered Rare and Painful Disease
• Rare daylight meteor seen, heard over Nevada, California
• Sun may soon have four poles, say researchers (Sunspot activity resembles the Maunder Minimum.)
• Large Meteorite Hits Near Columbia CA at 7:55AM, Several Fires Reported
• 4 Quadrupole Magnetic Shift in Sun Mimics Mini Ice Ages
• New Brunswick town plagued for weeks by 'earthquake swarm' -- and no one knows why
• Report: Pilot mistook Venus for aircraft, plunged plane toward Atlantic
• New paper ....... demonstrates that planets do not cause solar cycles [truncated ]
• Auroras Seen On Uranus For First Time
• Rapidly spotting major earthquakes using GPS
• Earthquake, Sumatra, 8.7 mag
• XKCD -- Lakes and Oceans
• Last 30 years shows climate feedbacks are zero (at best)
• Thawing permafrost 50 million years ago led to extreme global warming events
• Coral Links Ice Sheet Collapse to Ancient 'Mega Flood'
• Impressive meteor
• Clovis Comet Gets Second Look
• Jupiter is melting, scientists say
• A star explodes and turns inside out
• Huge tornadoes discovered on the Sun
• 135 Years of Records Reveals Deep Ocean Warming
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Tungurahua Erupts
• Coral links ice to ancient 'mega flood'
• Pulsars: The universe's gift to physics
• MOST ANCIENT, 'IMPOSSIBLE' ALIEN WORLDS DISCOVERED
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Unusual Hollows Discovered on Planet Mercury
• Medieval warming WAS global -- new science contradicts IPCC
• The Moon's Long Lost Twin Found
• How Many Unbound Planets in Milky Way?
• How Big is the Sun, Really?
• Scientists tell of 'runaway' planets
• Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Evolution of the Moon [ video ]
• Space Weather: Explosions on Venus
• Many Solar System Comets May Be Sun's Stolen Goods
• Native American Oral traditions tell of tsunami's destruction hundreds of years ago
• Forget evolution, climate science is the most controversial subject in school
• New evidence supporting extraterrestrial impact at the start of the Younger Dryas
• Unexplained "Phoenix Lights" explosion caught live on news broadcast
• How Many Loose Planets in the Milky Way?
• Spectacular Northern Lights blaze as solar storm hits Earth
• Russia Volcano Bezymianny put on Code Red for imminent eruption
• Titanic disaster blamed on Moon
• Water not so squishy under pressure
• Gate found in Karnak Temple adds new name to ancient kings' list [ 17th dyn pharaoh ]
• Blast it or paint it: Deadly asteroid bounds towards Earth out of the blue
• The sun is still in a funk: sunspot numbers are dropping when they should be rising
• NATURAL DISASTERS AND HUMAN HISTORY
• Big Asteroid 2011 AG5 Could Pose Threat to Earth in 2040
• The Pompeii of trees: 300 million-year-old forest preserved by volcanic ash found beneath Chinese...
• Why Do Dinosaur Skeletons Look So Weird? (a carcass in a watery grave)
• Lebanese Columnist: Jewish Religion Is a Fairy Tale; Jews Have No History, No Archaeological...
• 300 million year old fossilized forest discovered under coal mine in China
• Gingrich Space Plan Promises the Moon, Literally: Lunar Base by 2020
• (2012) Mayans couldn't even see their own End of Days
• Armchair astronaut discovers Mars 'space station' using Google earth
• The great Moon Hoax of 1835
• Historical *Evidence* for the Crucifixion Darkness (Solar Eclipse?)
• Ancient Volcano's Devastating Effects Confirmed (Toba eruption and the following Ice Age)
• Chinese challenge to 'out of Africa' theory
• Scientists calculate the exact date of the Trojan horse using eclipse in Homer
• Living In The 'Bowels Of The Earth'
• Sahara dried out slowly, not abruptly: study
• UK Impact Crater Debate Heats Up
• "Korean Pompeii" Discovered on Jeju Island
• Biblical-style flood tore Britain from France
• An Empire's Epidemic (Justinian Plague)
• Happy Birthday Nikola Tesla
• Ships' logs give clues to Earth's magnetic decline
• Greenhouse theory smashed by biggest stone
• Old Egypt investigator identifies to mysterious Hyksos kings [sic]
• Scientists discover frozen methane gas deposit off California
• Cassini Images Reveal Spectacular Evidence Of An Active Moon
• Pompei Discovery For Swedish Archaeologists
• Giant asteroid to make closest flyby of earth in recorded history (on April 13th, 2029)
• Kourion: The Monuments Of The City
• Spitzer telescope sees long, violent history for planet-building
• More on Asteroid Toutatis Passing Earth Sept 29th, 2004
• Ancient Rome's fish pens confirm sea-level fears
• Black Sea Trip Yields No Flood Conclusion (Noah's Flood?)
• Probe To 'Look Inside' Asteroids
• The great flood legends -- ancient misreadings of the fossil record?
• Cosmic Collision May Have Created Hawaii
• [Rut Roe] Another Global Warming Theory Discredited
• Scientists Unearth Urban Center More Ancient Than Plato
• Are Asteroids History's Greatest Killers?
• Migrants Poured Into Britain After Ice Age
• Explorers on the trail of Lost City of Atlantis
• EVIDENCE FOR COSMIC IMPACT IN EARLY MASS EXTINCTION FOUND
• ASTEROID IMPACT PLAYED PIVOTAL ROLE IN RAPID PROLIFERATION OF LIFE
• Two Volcanic Systems 'Connected Deep Beneath Surface'
• Little Ice Age (Solar Influence)
• WERE THE DARK AGES REALLY DARK?
• More Theories on Tunguska
• African Ice Core Analysis Reveals Catastrophic Droughts, Shrinking Ice Fields, Civilization Shifts
• Cash Plea For Russian Meteor Chasers (Impact Crater)
• Mystery space blast 'solved' [Italian Scientists Solve Mystery of 1908 Siberian Blast]

[SunkenCiv]

link only, crap from Plait
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/01/21/earth_hit_by_a_gamma_ray_burst_did_a_cosmic_blast_hit_us_in_775_ad.html

[Paladin2]

"...the Universe is a dangerous place...."

Yep, be careful out there.

[coloradan]

I thought spallation was only caused by impact of momentous particles. (That is, not including photons.) You knock a nucleus on the front, and, Newton’s Cradle style, a neutron pops out the back. (Which in any case is different from star formation which completely blows the nucleus apart. )

[MinorityRepublican]

yup...These threads (and the space/science threads) used to be fantastic on FR. These days, only the wannabe comediennes show up with the same tired posts.

Agreed. It could be that many of the science experts on FR found science forums to post.

[MinorityRepublican]

SunkenCiv,

How do you manage to have all of those posts saved up?

[DBrow]

Photons can do it too. With photoneutrons, you get neutrons, with spallation by photons you can get bigger particles. Takes an energetic photon.

[dfwgator]

[Tanniker Smith]

Ye Hulke Smasheth!

[exDemMom]

A nearby short duration gamma-ray burst may be the cause...

That's legitimate language, for a scientist. Scientists are trying to make sense out of things that no one knows about, and realize their interpretations could be wrong. So they're very hesitant to speak as if their interpretation of the data is the only possible interpretation. Thus, you will always see scientists using what I call "hedge" language--might, could, possibly.

[SunkenCiv]

I didn’t, I compiled them today, did a search ‘n’ replace on the source.

I’ve GOT to get my fire-and-forget programs moved over and translated to the new OS, they used to do all the work for me.